It's maddening: your diet's good, you're on the fast-track to fitness and STILL you feel bloated and your clothes feel tight. "Common reasons you might be retaining water range from physical inactivity to a deficiency in magnesium and B vitamins," says Dr Sarah Brewer, medical director of Healthspan and author of Eat Well To Stay Well: What to eat to beat common ailments (Eddison Books Ltd, £12.99). "Hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle can also make you retain water, as can excess salt. Rarely, thyroid and other less common hormone/endocrine gland imbalances can lead to fluid retention."

6 ways to lose water weight

1. Move more

It sounds simple, and it is – regular exercise, such as walking, helps get the muscles in your legs particularly pumping, aiding circulation and helping to move fluid around the body. If you're sat down for much of the day, make sure you get up and move around at least once every hour.

2. Eat less salt

High salt intake (UK government health guidelines recommend adults consume no more than 6g salt per day, which is around a teaspoon) can cause you to retain as much as 1.5 litres of extra fluid, according to World Action on Salt. Don't add salt to food, either while cooking or at the table, and remember that bread, breakfast cereals, soups and pre-packed meals particularly can be high in salt – it doesn't have to taste salty to be salty.

3. Check your medication

Some medication can cause you to retain water - for instance, blood pressure lowering drugs known as calcium channel blockers, which work by dilating blood vessels so that the blood can flow more easily. "Unfortunately this also allows fluid to seep out of the blood vessels and into the surrounding tissues," says Dr Brewer. "It's particularly associated with puffy ankles."

4. Check you're not deficient in magnesium or B vitamins

A lack of vitamins B1, B5 and B6 are linked to water retention (one of the primary functions of vitamin B5 is help the body excrete excess fluid, while B6 is linked to circulatory health, the poor function of which can lead to the body retaining fluids). Magnesium supplements can help, too, especially with the premenstrual 'bloat' many women suffer (some people, such as those with type 1 or 2 diabetes, are at increased risk of magnesium deficiency).

5. Cut back on carbs

Eating too many refined carbohydrates means the body will store them as glycogen in the liver, which attracts water. "The 2-4kg of weight you lose in the first few days of a diet are due to recycling this glycogen as fuel and losing the fluid associated with it," says Dr Brewer.

6. Eat more fruit and veg

These provide potassium, which helps to flush excess sodium (and water) from the body via the kidneys. Bananas are especially good, as are nuts, seeds and milk products.

Do try this at home

Herbal remedies have long been used to treat water retention, says medical herbalist Natasha Richardson, from the National Institute of Medical Herbalists. "In particular, dandelion and cleavers, which is the bristly, sticky plant you probably remember getting all over your clothes when you played in the garden as a kid, have a natural diuretic action and help the kidneys and bladder to be more active so you pee more frequently. Pick five dandelion leaves the length of your finger, wash and infuse in hot water for 10 mins before drinking. Fresh material is more potent! Do this three times a day – you can do the same for cleavers, although it's also available in supplement form. Nettle is also worth considering – as well as helping with water retention, it contains B vitamins, magnesium and iron. Pick (carefully), wash well and infuse."

Over-the-counter (OTC) remedies are worth a try, says Natasha, and often contain ingredients that have a natural diuretic action, such as dandelion, globe artichoke and milk thistle. "They make a different pretty fast if they're going to work, so if you're still feeling uncomfortably bloated after that, make an appointment to see a certified herbalist, who can help you further," she says.

Lymphatic drainage, which encourages the elimination of waste and excess fluid, is, in it's simplest form, lightly stroking the body towards the heart to encourage the elimination of toxins and waste. Body brushing in the shower works on the same principles.

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